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Federal politicians were in Toronto Friday and again weighing in on Mayor Rob Ford.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty — a close personal friend of the Ford family — was asked again for his thoughts on the mayor given the recent developments in the ongoing crack cocaine scandal.

“It is hard to keep up,” Flaherty told reporters on Friday. “I wish Rob well and his family well.”

The Conservative MP said he’s not “up to date on what’s been happening other than what I see on television and in the news.

“I think he’s been a good mayor,” he said. “He’s tried to get the financial house in order in Toronto which hasn’t been done in a long time so I give him credit for that and I hope he gets back on track.”

Federal NDP Leader Tom Mulcair — who was at City Hall for an urban agenda roundtable — repeated his call for Ford to step down and “get help.”

“There is going to be an election this year in Toronto and the people of Toronto will make their own choice,” Mulcair said during a press conference in front of the mayor’s office. “But I continue to see that Canada’s most important city … it is shame that Toronto is now being known mostly in the world for the videos of its mayor.

“It is something you can’t avoid if you travel around the world — in Europe or if you’re in the (United States) — it has become a running gag and it is unfortunately affecting Toronto negatively but it affects all of Canada negatively.”

Mulcair also called on those “close” to Ford like Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Flaherty to “stop making excuses for him.”

Meanwhile, as Ford left City Hall Friday he ignored questions about whether he was drinking at a Toronto bar this week.

Massoudi did not respond to questions sent via e-mail on Friday.

Ford spent much of the week refusing to answer questions about whether he was drinking alcohol in Vancouver last weekend when he was ticketed for jaywalking.

Ford swore off alcohol in November after a "come to Jesus moment" but admitted to drinking again last month after he was caught on video ranting in Jamaican patois at Steak Queen in Etobicoke.